Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, some organizations have pivoted to virtual or socially-distanced events to continue offering the masses some entertainment while we need it the most.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While they're not all outside of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, October 29

Last call for haunted houses
As one would expect, Halloween weekend is your last chance to take in the variety of haunted experiences in the Dallas area. In addition to previously-profiled events like Six Flags Over Texas presents HallowFest, Zombie Safari, Drive-Boo Halloween, and Reindeer Manor Halloween Park, this weekend will bring two new events: A behind-the-scenes tour at Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano, which was closed for the season, and a new haunted experience in Oak Cliff called Junk Yard Haunted House.

Festival of Independent Theatres
After four weeks, the 22nd Festival of Independent Theatres will come to a close this weekend. The virtual festival features six performing arts groups offering audiences something for everyone, and for the first time ever, viewing on demand and from the comfort of home. This year's lineup features original works, dance, comedy, drama, and more. All performances will be available for viewing anytime through Sunday.

Improv Arlington presents Tommy Davidson
Comedian Tommy Davidson first made a name for himself among the exceptional talent on the sketch comedy show In Living Color, and his range, from stand-up comedy and acting to music accomplishments, have earned him a reputation as a versatile performer. He'll perform six times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Imprint Theatreworks presents The Tree: An American Rock Musical
The Tree: An American Rock Musical aims to be an immersive journey across time and emotion re-examining the “gift” of knowledge and the nature of Good and Evil through an innovative and haunting musical narrative. The creators of the show — which includes six playwrights, the band Veteran Children, and choreographer Danielle Georgiou — have partnered to weave a collective experience that shines a light on human nature and what connects us all. The production, which offers both in-person and livestreaming options, will take place at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre on various dates through November 14.

Fair Park Drive-In Concert: Mt. Joy
Fair Park will kick off what may become a full blown drive-in concert series with a performance by indie rockers Mt. Joy. The band, which released their second studio album, Rearrange Us, earlier this year following a two-year hiatus after their self-titled debut album, is up-and-coming thanks to songs like "Silver Lining" and "Strangers." The concert will take place in Lot 8 next to Dos Equis Pavilion.

SMU Meadows School of the Arts presents the black album. 2020. resistance.
Golden Globe-winning actress, director, and playwright Regina Taylor is partnering with SMU Meadows School of the Arts for a unique, three-part theatrical project titled the black album. 2020. The project explores and addresses the question of what it is to be Black in 2020. This first part of the project will be performed live on the SMU Meadows YouTube channel by seven Meadows undergraduate and graduate acting students.

Friday, October 30

Hot 93.3 Carbaret Hallo-Screening Drive-In: Nightmare on Elm Street & Hocus Pocus
Carbaret, in collaboration with Hot 93.3, will celebrate Halloween with a special dual screening event featuring family favorite Hocus Pocus and horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street. The films will show on different screens at the same time, and each film will be ticketed separately. As always, the screenings will take place in the parking lot outside of Brizo in Richardson. All proceeds go to the North Texas Food Bank, and every car will get a complimentary bag of candy and cool swag.

Saturday, October 31

The Statler presents Scare Fare
Guests of all ages can take part in an expanded expression of the usual door-to-door trick-or-treating at The Statler’s Scare Fare. Taking place from 11 am to 6 pm, the event provides guests with a trick-or-treat kit with a map of all the candy stations located throughout the hotel, which will include each of The Statler’s four restaurants and additional action stations in the hotel lobby. Each stop on the map will offer a unique treat germane to that venue. The Garden Court “Graveyard” will feature Halloween games, a magician, a fortune teller, and more.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Dia de los Muertos Concert
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present a vibrant Day of the Dead concert and celebration, featuring traditional Latin American music and culture, guests artists, festivities, and fun-filled events for the whole family. Unlike the other Dallas Symphony concerts so far this season, this concert is open to the public, although seating will still be limited due to social distancing guidelines.

AMP presents Our Vote Matters: A HEXA Halloween Music Fest
Adam Munoz Productions presents Our Vote Matters, a HEXA Halloween music festival benefiting Education Unbound. The drive-in festival will feature live music by Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights, Heart of the City, Garrett Bryan and The Traveling City Committee, Droo's Peace Crush, Taylor Ochs Trio, and Jake Dexter and The Main Street Sound. The event will take place in the parking lot at HEXA Coworking in Richardson.

Las Colinas Day of the Dead Festival
The U.S. Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation is partnering with the Toyota Music Factory and Visit Irving to host the Las Colinas Day of the Dead Festival. The outdoor event will feature live music and a Mexican ofrenda, a flower and candle-laden altar that traditionally commemorates departed loved ones with their favorite food and drink. The ofrenda will be specially dedicated to community members who have lost their lives to COVID-19 this year. Attendance will be limited to 150 guests; those who cannot attend in person can visit virtually via the event Facebook page.

Stomping Ground Comedy presents Lights Out! An Outdoor Comedy Experience
Lights Out is more than a comedy show; it's a comedy experience uniquely suited for the spooky season. Audience members will enjoy a performance of "The Bat," an improv show performed completely in the dark and based on the audience's worst fears and nightmares. Prior to the start of each show, there will also be a pop-up market with local vendors selling unique handmade goods. There will be two shows outside of Stomping Ground Comedy Theater.

TACA Concert on the Green: Abraham Alexander
The Arts Community Alliance will present the first TACA Concert on the Green, featuring Fort Worth native and singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander. The concert will also feature special guest Misa Hylton (Global Creative Partner for MCM) and a special performance by The Grays. A socially-distanced affair at Annette Strauss Square, funds raised will benefit TACA and its mission to support excellence and impact in the arts in North Texas.

Imprint Theatreworks presents The Tree: An American Rock Musical, featuring music by Veteran Children, at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through November 14.

Photo by Jordan Fraker

Imprint Theatreworks presents The Tree: An American Rock Musical, featuring music by Veteran Children, at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through November 14.

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Ooky and spooky

A Halloween-season list of the most famous ghosts of Dallas

Vecteezy.com

Scary ghost like character on a foggy night.

Dallas may lack the bones and brooding of a classic ghost story — no cliffside mansions, rolling fog, or lonely swamps — but we’ve still managed to attract a few hauntings between the freeways. If you’re in the mood for a local ghost story, here are a few of Dallas’ most classic spooky tales:

The Lady of the Lake, White Rock Lake
Dallas’ take on the vanishing traveler legend is perhaps its best-known ghost story. A young woman in evening wear — sometimes said to have come from “The Store,” better known as Neiman Marcus — is spotted walking near the lake after dark. A couple in a passing car stop to offer her a ride. She gives an address — Oak Cliff in some accounts, Lakewood in others — then vanishes when the good Samaritans arrive, leaving only a puddle of water.

When the motorists knock on the door to explain, an older man or woman — sometimes a couple — reveal that the description of the girl matches their daughter, who drowned in a boating accident. “It happens every year on this night,” they say. “The girl was our daughter, who died in a car accident on her way to a dance.” It’s one reason — along with stunning fall sunsets over the water — that I always feel drawn to the lake this time of year.

Karl Hoblitzelle, Majestic Theatre (1925 Elm St.)
Step into the Majestic Theatre and you’re transported to its glamorous heyday, when the venue hosted stars like Mae West, Jimmy Stewart, and Duke Ellington before converting to a concert and comedy venue in the 1980s. Built in the early 1920s, the Renaissance Revival-style movie palace was the grand dame of Dallas’ now-vanished Theater Row, rich with baroque detailing and romantic flourishes, including an auditorium ceiling of clouds and twinkling stars.

The Majestic was the crown jewel in a chain of theaters owned by vaudeville impresario and philanthropist Karl Hoblitzelle, whose spirit, some say, still keeps watch over his masterpiece. Employees and visitors have reported scenery shifting on its own, an office door unlocking and swinging open, phone lines lighting up without cause, and a sudden chill in the air. Perhaps some incidents can be explained by old wiring and vivid imaginations, but I like to think Karl is still in his happy place, enjoying the never-ending applause.

The Miller Ghosts, City Park (1515 S. Harwood St.)
It doesn’t get more classically haunted than the Civil War-era Millermore Mansion at City Park, where tales of cold spots, an uneasy sense of being watched, and a mysterious woman in a long brown dress have circulated for decades. Some say the Greek revival-styled mansion with the troubled past is haunted by the spirit of a former caretaker; others believe the woman is one of the three wives of cotton planter and slave owner William Brown Miller, the home’s original owner.

Replete with period furnishings, marble-top tables and original fireplaces, Millermore is one of several 19th-century preserved buildings across the 22-acre City Park.

The Jilted Bride, The Adolphus Hotel (1321 Commerce St.)
The disappointed bride of the Adolphus, said to haunt the hotel since the 1930s, is a must-include on any list of Dallas ghosts. Stories recount incidents of disembodied crying and footsteps, elevator doors that open on their own, faint strains of unseen music, and a figure in a white gown drifting about.

Opened in 1912 as Dallas’ first European-style luxury hotel, the Adolphus quickly became the city’s grandest destination — and for a time, its tallest building — hosting presidents, tycoons, and entertainers. The vintage opulence is wonderful: ornate exterior gargoyles, artwork, hardwood floors, the famed French Room, and sweeping views of downtown.

The Spirits of Hermann, The Sons of Hermann Hall (3414 Elm St.)
Home to the Dallas chapter of the German fraternal organization of the same name since 1911, the Sons of Hermann Hall is the city’s oldest bar. The historic venue is an excellent destination for swing dancing, beer drinking, and live music — and, according to Deep Ellum lore, for ghosts. In addition to the usual cold spots and spooky feelings, people have claimed to witness objects move or disappear, doors slam, phantom footsteps echo, and children’s laughter drift through empty rooms.

One legend tells of a woman whose spirit lingers after she fell from a staircase. Another claims that long-departed members of the Sons of Hermann still show up for meetings. My favorite story involves a couple in Victorian dress who walked past a group of people and climbed the stairs toward what was assumed to be a themed wedding rehearsal. When they failed to reappear, someone went to check — only to find the door upstairs locked and no one inside.

Haunted Burgers, Snuffer’s Restaurant & Bar (3310 Greenville Ave.)
The original Snuffer’s building is gone, but the ghosts of the beloved burger joint are believed to carry on. In both its original and current buildings, staff and guests have noticed strange disturbances: echoing voices, flickering lights, objects moving on their own, and children’s laughter late at night. Some believe the eerie activity traces back to a murder that allegedly took place decades ago, when the property was still a neighborhood pool hall; others claim the site was built atop a children’s cemetery.

Whatever the back story, Snuffer’s has embraced its friendly haunted ambiance — which may be why I wasn’t too spooked one New Year’s Eve in college when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder while walking to the powder room, even though I turned to find no one there. Maybe the ghost just wanted to know if I planned to finish my cheese fries.

Rhonda Aghamalian is a North Texas freelance writer and lover of local history and spooky stories.

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